Exile (Garnethill, 2)

Another winner from Mina. Truly a unique contributor to the genre, this is part II of her gritty saga of a woman's personal quest for revenge and for freedom from the demons that hobble her. The books are replete with clear-eyed insight, heart and often humor about the lives of the often voiceless and faceless members of society's underclass. Often she focuses on the ways that her female characters are victimized, but she is a sensitive and compassionate observer of men as well. I am also a fan of Kate Atkinson and Margaret Drabble, two other writers that come to mind for their vividly drawn British settings, delicious, witty writing and interest in psychological nuance. If you are interested in both a great story and a wonderful character study, featuring a heroine who is both very human and also deeply admirable, as well as a vicarious trip to extremely non-touristy parts of the British isles, you will enjoy this book.

Mystery fans have been eagerly awaiting the second novel by Denise Mina, whose groundbreaking "Garnethill" won the John Creasey Award for Best First Crime novel and made instant devotees of her so richly fleshed-characters, Mauri, Liam, Leslie and Winnie. In Garnethill we met Glaswegian (inhabitant of Glascow, Scotland) Maureen O'Donnell, a troubled young woman with a past so horrific and a family so dysfunctional, it is a wonder she survived at all. Mauri suffered incest at the hands of her own father and is tortured by flashbacks and nightmares of the event. Her alcoholic harpy of a mother, Winnie, refuses to believe her daughter's memory. Mauri's two sisters also refuse to believe. Only Mauri's brother, Liam, a drug-dealer is supportive. Luckily, Mauri has her best friend, Leslie, to help her get through the days as she struggles to cope and recover from a nervous breakdown caused by the memory of the incest. Large quantities of scotch whiskey also help dull the pain.The second novel begins six months after the events described in "Garnethill". Mauri and Leslie are working together at a shelter for abused women, but their friendship seems to be fading. Mauri's long-lost father reportedly has returned to Glascow, leaving her no respite from the shadows of her past and she is relying more and more on whiskey to escape. When one of the shelter's clients turns up dead in London, Mauri throws herself into the search for the reasons for the woman's brutal death. The chase takes her through the underworld of drug lords and heroin junkies in seedy pubs and the grim poverty of the housing projects (or "schemes") in London and Glascow.Maureen and her creator, Denise Mina, are firmly entrenched in the pantheon of great women crime writers and their sleuths, particularly carving a place in the "hard-boiled" genre, previously the province of male mystery authors only. Once you have met these characters, you never forget them and are eager to follow any exploit. However, I have to say that I thought "Exile" was less centered, less smooth, less mesmerizing than "Garnethill". For one thing, Mauri's Medea-like mother, Winnie, has only a few walk-ons - and I found her one of the most gripping characters. The motivation for Mauri's one-woman descent into the drug hell seemed somewhat contrived. Mauri herself swings from moods of wanting to have a normal life being happy and settled to more and more frequent heavy drinking bouts - these swings are certainly believeable within the context of her character, but make for a much less centered book. One never meets up with the elusive father who caused much of the problem, though his presence is used as a motive and a goad throughout the book. Still, these are minor quibbles. The writing is superb and one rarely reads an author that can so put the reader so three-dimensionally into the landscape and the lives her characters inhabit. If Garnethill had not been so overwhelmingly compelling, I'm sure "Exile" would still make me put Denise Mina on my notify-me-at-once-when-a-new-book-comes-out list and I await the next novel to find out which pathways Mauri takes.

Denise Mina has embarked upon a series, featuring her most unlikely heroine, sexually abused and haunted by the experience, Maureen O'Donnell. Mina gets high marks for her depiction of a young woman battling her mental store of horrors; angry, confrontational and daring, Maureen hurls herself into everything: love, family relationships, encounters with strangers, even danger. Her recklessness is emblematic of those troubled by and driven by abusive pasts. And Mina is right on the money when it comes to detailing her endless doubts--about her friendships, her family, herself--and her forays into situations anyone less driven wouldn't approach for any amount of love or money.Embarking with her best friend, Leslie (who is a rough-hewn gem in her own right, just as Maureen is in hers) on tracking down the missing battered-wife Ann Harris, the embattled friends travel over exceedingly rocky terrain. Some of Maureen's actions might defy credibility were it not for the solidly established foundation of her angry determination to right injustices and unfairness where she finds them.When the search evolves into investigating the murder of Ann Harris, Maureen puts herself in the way of danger with fear that comes as an afterthought. This young woman is a fascinating study of contradictions: she is bold and brash, good-hearted, humorous and unstoppable. And in spite of the enormous potential for personal harm, Maureen prevails and unearths the truth.Mina has great skill at characterization; it is her primary asset, along with her ability to give the reader a powerful sense of Glasgow--its often mean streets, its weather, its population, its often unexpected gallows humor.This is a fine book, on the way to becoming a fine series. It's anything but light reading, but completely compelling.

I really wanted to like this, but Maureen gets pretty tiresome and repetitive, going through the same silly stuff. Just Garnet Hill with some new characters and a London angle. I gave Resolution away. Not going to bother.

I love Mina's writing & dialogue. The characters & situations keep me interested. But I found this one a bit confusing because of the number of characters. Hard to keep track of which bad guy was which. Of course if you read this one & like it, you'll have to read the third in the trilogy. So I'm on to the next one!

I am hooked on Denise Mila's writing. This, the second novel in her Garnethill trilogy, is meant to drag you, shake you, expose you, cause you thrills and anguish. Along with her Scottish wit which pokes itself through the muck and mire to greatly relieve you. This is gritty lit and not for the weak spirited. If you want to keep your brain engaged, but not keep your hands too clean, then dive in!!!

Mina's Glasgow trilogy, steeped in the primitive passions of incest and betrayal, reads like a Greek drama, only better. The portrayal of the main character Maureen's descent into madness (both kinds) and her ascent towards self definition and strength is as compelling a story as has ever been written in any genre.